Unusual Anime Topics that Actually Work

According to a recent study from 2020, over 100 million households across the world chose to watch at least one anime on Netflix showing a growth of 50% over just one year. Whilst anime may have been a niche that only weebs or otakus watched just a few years back, it’s now a huge medium that attracts people from all over the world.

The term anime is often one that is met with either fondness or repulsion due to the variety of content that comes from this genre. Just like any sort of medium, there are mind-blowing works that just completely leave you spellbound and others that are just tasteless and tacky.

Anime has the beauty of being able to create literally anything as long as it’s from the creator's imagination. Through graphic illustrations in the form of comics and other platforms such as Manga Insider, it is more appreciated nowadays by anime fans. Throughout the years, there have been animes that have been just about anything which include usual topics such as black notebooks that have the power to kill, an idol group made up of statutes and even a group of balls that can grant any wish you want.

There’s no denying that some of these bizarre ideas do not work and are just complete trainwrecks - but then there’s a small few crazy ideas that are just pure brilliance and that’s exactly what this article is about. Within the world of anime, there are no boundaries or restrictions on what can be explored and here are some of the most abnormal topics that actually work.

Jesus and Buddha as BFFs

A trope that anime tends to do brilliantly with is the slice of life genre that just explores mundane life but makes it more fascinating by exploring the characters in depth. There are often comedic moments mixed in to make it lighthearted. Shows like Toradora! and Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day showcase this in the best possible way by keeping it simple and funny whilst being an emotional rollercoaster at times.

However, this list isn’t about the conventional slice of life animes as Saint Young Men is the furthest thing from it. Have you ever wondered what would happen if Jesus Christ and Buddha came to earth on a vacation? With Saint Young Men, you find exactly how this scenario would go as they try to keep lowkey whilst exploring modern Japanese society.

One day, Jesus Christ and Buddha decide to become roommates in Tokyo in order to explore Japan and have a vacation from their duties as religious figures. Throughout the show and the source manga, the two figures are shown sightseeing, drinking beer, and even playing video games!

Of course, Jesus retains his traits such as loving all and Buddha is calm, but their traits are also used for gags in the form of Buddha shining when excited and Jesus creating wine from public bathwater. Religion can be a tricky thing to cover, but this one does it tastefully and stays faithful to the figures whilst adding an element of humour to it all. The premise of this show is utterly bonkers but it strangely works to create something that is unmissable.

School for Gambling

When you think of high schools in anime, you think of cute characters falling in love and the biggest drama happens to be relationships. Well, that definitely is not the case in Kakegurui which is all about a prestigious school that determines the student’s status and grades on their gambling abilities.

Unsurprisingly, gambling in anime is a complicated topic to cover with some shows delivering fully-fledged stories showing the highs and lows of gambling, whilst others have simply shown a one-dimensional story with no charm or character. Thankfully, Kakegurui falls into the first category and is arguably one of the best gambling animes of all time. 

As previously mentioned, the show is about an elite school that has its entire order shattered by a new student called Yumeko Jabami. During the run of the series, you see that Yumeko is a gambling prodigy and gambles more for the thrill of it than just wealth and acclaim.

There’s so much suspense throughout each episode, and you can’t help but be on the edge of your seat. It’s honestly surprising to see the lengths that people will go to in order to remain at the top of the social chain and how they react to being taken down a peg. For a psychological thriller all about gambling, Kakegurui is the anime you need.

Hook, Line, and Sinker

Everyone loves a good sports drama and anime is no different. Hits such as Haikyuu!! and Kuroko's Basketball have shown how important the bonds of teamwork can be in sport and how hard work is more valuable than winning. Besides, who doesn’t love a good underdog story that shows the growth of beloved characters? Therefore, it’s no surprise as to why sports anime are so popular.

This would probably explain why an anime about a group of boys fishing is actually pretty entertaining. Tsuritama tells the story of a socially inept student named Yuki who moves to a seaside town and is forced into fishing by his classmate Haru.

Now, fishing doesn’t initially come across as ‘anime material’, but it’s actually an endearing anime that is full of life lessons. Alongside that, you have a multitude of characters that are completely unique and there’s a plot twist that you never see coming. Of course, the show covers fishing in extensive detail such as bait and gear, but the focus is on friendships and growing up as a kid.

On top of the intriguing premise, the animation and voice acting in both the dubbed and subbed are absolutely incredible. If you love whimsical shows mixed with laughs, self-discovery, and fishing, then be sure to check out Tsuritama.

Anthropomorphic Soda Cans

If you ever think that your hobby is boring, then you definitely need to watch this anime. Akikan! follows a sixteen-year-old male student, called Kakeru, who collects juice cans as he’s just that cool. Luckily for him, he manages to buy a melon soda can that is actually an akikan who transforms into a human girl once he infuses the can with carbon dioxide aka breaths on it.

It doesn’t even stop there with the craziness as it turns out these akikans were created by the government to determine if steel or aluminium cans are the superior choice meaning that different types of akikans must battle each other to resolve this answer.

Whilst this can be crude at times with Kakeru and Hidehiko just being utterly awful and offensive, the star of the show has to be the akikans. The main one is called Melon (after melon soda) and she does not tolerate any of the shenanigans from Kakeru. At times, it feels like it’s self-aware of the degenerate jokes and plays even more into them, whilst sometimes it just feels incredibly dated. The premise of the soda cans coming to life actually works and the akikans are the best part of the show. Who would’ve thought that you could become so invested in the lives of soda cans? The show has pervy moments, but it’s never forced nudity or feels too fan service as the akikans always fight back against the creep.

Akikan! is an anime that is a guilty pleasure with stupid jokes that’ll either hit the mark or fail spectacularly.